Tagged: Gold Glove

Seattle Mariners third baseman Kyle Seager and second baseman Robinson Canó have been selected as finalists for the 2016 Rawlings® American League Gold Glove at their respective positions, as announced today by the Rawlings Sporting Goods Company and Major League Baseball.

Seager is one of three finalists for the American League Gold Glove at third base with Manny Machado (Baltimore) and Adrian Beltre (Texas). Canó is one of three finalists for the American League Gold Glove at second base with Ian Kinsler (Detroit) and Dustin Pedroia (Boston).

The Rawlings Gold Glove Awards will be announced on Tuesday, Nov. 8th on ESPN.

Seager, who was the 2014 winner, was tied with Texas’ Adrian Beltre among American League third baseman with 15 defensive runs saved (according to The Fielding Bible). He led all American League third basemen in games started (156) and innings played (1,399.2). Since his first full season in 2012, Seager has steadily improved his defensive runs saved, posting -7 DRS in 2012, -8 DRS the following season, +10 DRS in his Gold Glove season of 2014, +1 DRS last season and a career-best +15 DRS this year. Over the last three years, Seager is one of four American Leaguers to post two seasons of at least +10 DRS at 3rd base.

Canó ranked among the American League leaders in several defensive categories at second base, leading the Majors in fielding percentage (.996), leading the AL in putouts (311), was third in assists (429), and committed only three errors, the fewest among second baseman with at least 70 games played. He was second in the AL in Zone Rating with a mark of .827 behind Detroit’s Ian Kinsler; Zone Rating is defined by STATS Inc. as “an estimate of a player’s efficiency in fielding balls hit into his typical defensive zone.” Canó has previously won two Rawlings Gold Glove Awards in 2010 and 2012 while playing for New York-AL.

The Rawlings® Gold Glove Award is presented annually to 18 players, one for each position, in both the American and National Leagues. The selection process is based on a combination of managers/coaches vote (up to 7 per team, can’t vote for players on own team) and on the SABR Defensive Index (statistical based).

Kyle had the 3rd-best SDI in the American League at 17.9, trailing only Oakland’s Josh Donaldson (21.2) and Kansas City’s Alex Gordon (19.9). It is interesting that Seager trailed Donaldson, also a third baseman, which means Kyle likely overwhelmingly won the vote amongst American League coaches and managers. Seager also all Major League third basemen with a .981 fielding percentage.

For the second consecutive season, the SDI was used to help select the winners of the Rawlings® Gold Glove Award. The SABR Defensive Index accounts for 30 total “votes” — or approximately 25 percent of the Rawlings Gold Glove Award selection process — which are added to the votes from the managers and coaches in each respective league.

Here is a description of the SDI:

The SABR Defensive Index draws on and aggregates two types of existing defensive metrics: those derived from batted ball location-based data and those collected from play-by-play accounts. The three metrics representing batted ball data include Defensive Runs Saved from Baseball Info Solutions, Ultimate Zone Rating developed by noted sabermetrician Mitchel Lichtman, and Runs Effectively Defended based on STATS Zone Rating and built by SABR Defensive Committee member Chris Dial. The two metrics included in the SDI originating from play-by-play data are Defensive Regression Analysis, created by committee member Michael Humphreys, and Total Zone Rating.

Kyle Seager has been the 2nd-best defensive player in the American League in 2014.

We’ve all seen Kyle Seager turn into one of the offensive leaders of this Mariners club, but Manager Lloyd McClendon wants to make sure people do not ignore his glove work at the hot corner.

“He’s been great offensively,” McClendon said, “but I’ve been saying all year he should seriously be considered for a Gold Glove as well. What he does on the other side of the ball is just as important.”

The Society for American Baseball Research (SABR) has taken notice as well and has been able to quantify his stellar work on the defensive end. The SABR Defensive Index is used to help select the winners of the Rawlings Gold Glove Award® and Rawlings Platinum Glove Award™, presented by SABR.

According to the Index, Seager’s defense ranks not just second amongst American League third basemen, he ranks as the second-best defensive player in the American League.

Shortstops: It is hard to believe that Brendan Ryan has never won either a Fielding Bible Award or a Gold Glove. Ryan has at least 18 Defensive Runs Saved in each of the last three seasons, and he has already flown by those previous totals with 29 this season. That’s 12 more than J.J. Hardy, the closest shortstop behind him. In addition to covering ground, Ryan has converted an impressive 77 percent of his opportunities for double plays, which is a career high. Ryan leads all players in Runs Saved and could break through for his first Fielding Bible Award. It is less clear how he will fare against some of the bigger names at short for the American League Gold Glove, like J.J. Hardy and recent winner Erick Aybar. Over in the National League, Andrelton Simmons will win his share of defensive awards during his career. He did not get enough playing time to be on the Fielding Bible Award ballot this year, but he may have done enough to snag his first NL Gold Glove.